When I created my first YouTube video several years ago it was jumpy, contained insufficient lighting, wasn’t scripted, had unclear sound and was too long. I hope that by reading through this article you’ll avoid the mistakes I initially made and give you the inspiration to create your own YouTube videos for attracting traffic and leads to your business.
10 Steps To Create Your First Own YouTube Video
1. Have a strategy
Know what you’re creating videos for. For example you may want to generate more traffic and leads for your online business by creating one new video per week.
2. Equipment you need
- Camera
Most folks already own a digital camera or smart phone that enables you to shoot high definition videos so use what you have. - Editing software
For PC owners use the free Windows Movie Maker software already installed on your computer. For MAC owners use iMovie. - Slideshow software
If you prefer to create a video slide show (instead of a talking head video) use PowerPoint (PC) or Keynote (MAC) to create your presentations. - Screen capture software
You’ll need this software to record the PowerPoint presentation on your computer screen. To do this you can use free online software such as Screenr or Screencast-O-Matic. - YouTube Channel
If you already own a Gmail account then you can create a YouTube account using the same login information. A beginners account only allows 15 minutes of video however this is more than enough for most of your videos.
3. Write a script
Trying to wing it will only cause you to stumble and present your content in a scattered manner. Taking time to write a script organizes your thoughts and avoids making mistakes. If you have a hard time memorizing the whole script (like me) just memorize one line at a time then edit the clips together in your editing software.
4. Select the best lighting
Natural light provides the best quality lighting however make sure your camera is not pointing directly into the light or sun. Instead have the light behind you and try to place the person you’re filming in the shade.
If you film indoors stand in front of a large window with the camera pointing away from the window so natural light shines on the subject you’re filming.
5. Shoot the video
Keep your video length under 3 minutes and look directly into the camera lens when speaking. First introduce what your video is about, then share your content and conclude with a call to action ie “for more information visit my website or call this number”.
6. Edit your video
Download the video in the editing software on your computer and edit out any mistakes. Add music and annotations to engage viewers. YouTube allows you to add annotations after uploading so you can do this later.
7. Upload to YouTube and Optimize
While uploading your video to YouTube enter the title, description and tags at the same time. The title should contain your main keyword and one main benefit of your presentation.
Write several paragraphs for the description weaving your keywords throughout the content. Repeat your video title at the beginning of your description followed by your full website address.
For the tags enter as many related keywords as possible without repeating them too many times. This enables your video to be found in the search engines when people enter a specific keyword in the search box.
8. Create a custom thumbnail image
This will cause your video listing in the search engine listings to stand out from textual content because it will display an image. After creating and uploading it to YouTube select “custom thumbnail” in the video manager then click save.
9. Share your video
Copy the video URL or embed code and submit to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn accounts using a captivating title to grab visitors attention. Most social media properties allow visitors to immediately watch the video on their own platforms without visiting YouTube.
10. Subscribe to related channels
Invite viewers to subscribe to your YouTube channel so you can alert them of future videos uploaded to your account. Make sure you also subscribe, comment on related videos in your niche. This will increase the number of backlinks to your own channel which helps boost the ranking of your videos in the search engines resulting in attracting more traffic.
The key to successful video marketing is to create and promote videos on a consistent basis (ie once a week). The more videos you produce the more traffic and sales you will generate.
Learn how to create professional videos and market them on YouTube by investing in a step-by-step course called Video Traffic Academy
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